Method and machine for enameling bowls



Julyw28, 1925. 1,547,704

J. B. WHITMORE ET AL METHOD AND MACHINE FOR ENAMELING BOWLS Filed March2.3, 1921 -4 Sheets-Shqet 1 "IVE/ T085 .JAHE5. 5. WHITNORE JOHN E. FEEG(150A! 1,547,704 J. B. WHITMOREET AL METHOD AND MACHINE FOR ENAMELINGBOWLS July 28, 192

Filed March 23', 1921 4 Sheets Sheet 5 INVENTORS jQHES s. wH/TMOEE OHNE'- Fg/ac, 050M 6 TTORNEY \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\R j i a July 28, 1925. v1,547,704 J. B. WHITMORE ET AL 7 METHOD AND MACHINE FOR ENAMELING BOWLSFiled March 23, 1921 4 sheets sheet 4 INVENTORS JAHES BMIHITHQRE- JOHNE- FERGUSON- ATTORNEY mama 1.1, 2a, 1925.-

omit!) STATESIIPADTENT QFFlC- E.

cums mum wnrn'rom: AND Joint nnnme rmuson, or B'Loonmn, rmw

mnsmr, Assrenons r'o rmmsxnvama.

' and a resident of Bloomfield, in the county of the air, and of ofEssex and State of New Jersey, and JOHN Eamnc FERGUSON, a citizen of theUnited States, and a resident of Bloomfield,- 1n the county of Essex andState of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement inMethodsand Machines for Enameling Bowls, of which the following is aspec fication.

This invention relates to a machine for automatically applying andafiixing one or a more coatings'of one or. more substances to objects,and more particularly the 'IIIVGlltlOIl relates to the. application. ofa coating to vitreous objects such as the bulbs of incandescent-electriclamps.

In the manufacture of incandescent elec-.

tric lamps various expedients have been resorted to for the purplose ofcontrollmg the distribution of the lig t emanating from the filament.One of these expedients has been to frost the bulb, or to produce. afrosted.

' efl'ect thereon. Another expedient is that of makin the bulb of aglass havin desired or pre etermined properties of re ection orrefraction, such as o alescent, colored glass, and the like. Recent y ithas'been proposed to use a coating, applied t0 the bulb in a suitablemanner, such as bydipping or spraying, as a substitute for frosting,heretofore produced by etching. By modimg the consistency of thiscoating, it has possible to very closely imitate or approach thecharacteristic of opalescent or colored glasses, and thereby derive allof the advantageousifeatures of such glasses relating to light control,

It is an object of the present invention-to provide an apparatus forapplying a coating of predetermined thickness to a surface of a givenobject which may vary in size, and in-particular the coating ma beapplied to the bulb of an incandescent amp or similar object in anexpeditious manner.

It is another object of our invention to provide means whereby thecoating having once been applied may be rendered im ervious to moisture,resistant to the impurlties a durable character to resist mechanicalrubbing.

gas filled lamps,

1 having 1 wnsrmonoosn LAMP serum, 4 coarona'rron' or AND CHINE I'OIB,ENAIELIHG BOWLS. I Application filed larch 23, 1921. Serial No. 454,756.

Other. objects of the invention haveto do with various features of construction and arrangement of parts which will manifest themselves upon areading of the following description and appended claims.

We have. discovered that a very effective way of applying a coating,such as described above, to a glass object as, for example, anincandescent lamp bulb, is by first spraying a suitable liquid upon anexposed surface of the object and then=baking the coated ort1on of theobject. Accordingly, the mac ine contemplated by the present inventioninvolves primarily two operations, one of WhlCllJS' a spray ng and theother a baking operation. a

apply ng a variety of coatings to 'variety' of glass ware or vitreousobjects, it will hereinafter be described ameling the bowl of anincandescent lamp bulb. In most of the so-called mazda C, or

it is a feature of construca coiled Although our machine may be used fortion to provide in connection with enfilament usually mounted' normal tothe axis of the lainp bulb and positioned in a plane where the bulb isof the greatest diameter, Rou My,

that portion of the bulb from the tip 0 the lamp to the plane of thefilament is customarily designated as the bowl. The intensity of the"light cast from the bowl requires that the eye be shaded from the glarethereof. It is, therefore, desirable to intercept this light with anobject or substance low light transmission, such as by rovi ng asuitable reflector or coating the owl with an enamel. Previous to thepresent invention, no satisfactory method or machine has been providedfor setting the enamel so that it would not be affected deleteriouslybythe elements, or scale off when heated or by contacting with otherobjects, etc.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is a front perspectiveview of the loading and unloading side of the machine.

2 is a side elevatlonal view of the mabroken away, showing one of theheads car v ried' on an arm of a conveyor; Fig. 4 1s a rotary heads, i

plan view of the arran ement of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a view, partial y inelevation and partially in section, of a portion of one of the heads,showing an ada ter by means of which bulbs of another size may besupported in the heads; Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic plan view of severalheads assoclated with a driving belt and idlers; Fig. 7 1s a fragmentaryview of an indexing mechanism; and Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken online IIII of Fig. 7

The machine as contemplated by the invention includes a supportingstructure or table havin a circular plate 2 secured preferablyin aorizontal position to a frame3, which also supports various otheroperating mechanism. Centrally disposed upon and rigidly secured to theupper side of the plate is a stud 5 upon which a spider 7 is rotatablymounted by means of its central hub 6. See Figs. 3 and 4. The spider ispreferably constructed with a plurality of, radial arms 8 terminating inhubs 10 which constitute bearings for hollow shafts 12 of twelverotatable heads 14. The spider and its parts will hereinafter be termeda conveyor. Each head preferably comprises a cylindrical casing orshield 18 positioned with its vertical axis coincident with the axis ofits supporting hub 10 and having secured in the lower'end a closureconsisting of a cast iron plate 19, to the center of which the abovementioned shaft 12 is rigidly fixed. The lower end of each of theseshafts is provided with a pulley 20 fastened thereto by means of aset-screw 21.

Fitted to the upper end of the casing 18 is an interiorly extendingflange 22 removably fitted to the casing and having its inner surfaceshaped with a contour to accommodate that portion of an object, such asa. bulb 25 of an incandescent lamp, which is circumscribed when seatedthereon. Preferably, when anobject such as a lamp bulb is in the desiredposition in the head, the upper end of the flange 22 lies in the planeof the greatest diameter of the bulb, thus leaving exposed the upperportion or bowl of the bulb, to which the coating in this instance is tobe applied. The flange 22, as shown in Fig. 3, accommodates bulbs of agiven size and in cases where bulbs of other sizes are to be treated, aso-called bulb adapter 26 is provided, consisting of an annulus havingan internal taper to contact with the outer side of the casing 18 forthe purpose of frictional engagement therewith. The inner surface of theadapter, for contacting with the bulb, is of a contour proportionatelychanged but of the same'general construction as that of the flange 22.By the em loyment of the adapters it is obvious that bulbs of a vastrange of sizes may be readily treated without modifying the machine.

lamp, and this post will be hereinafter 7 termed a socket post. Integralwith the lower end of the post is a plunger 28 movable within the hollowshaft 12, and the upward movement of this plunger and the socket post iseffected by a suitable means 7 such as an inclined surface 29 disposedin a. suitable position in the circular course of travel through whichthe conveyor moves the heads 14. The upward movement of the plunger andsocket post lifts the bulb from the head, thus enabling the operator-tomore readily grip the same for removing the bulb from the machine; Thesocket post is retained in an upper position by means of the 1frictional engagement of a pin 30 normally held in contact with theplunger 28 by means of a helical spring 31 positioned in a recessbetween a screw plug 32 and head 33 of the pin 30. The spring isadjusted to move the pin against the plunger with only sufficient forceto support the socket-post 27 and bulb when seated thereon.

When a lamp is removed from the head, the socket post remains in itsupper position, and the operator places the base of another bulb in thesocket and presses the bulb to its seated position upon the flange ofcasing 18 or upon the adapter 26. The post is thus returned to its lowerposition and in readiness to eject a bulb at a given point.

which ma be the unloading stage.

Any sultable power may be employed for. driving the spider or conveyor 7and the various operative parts of the machine. In

the present embodiment of the invention, 1 5

the necessary power is derived from a motor 36 carried on the frame 3and is responsive. to control switch 34. Preferably, the motor shaftdrives a relatively large grooved split pulley 37 clamped to ahorizontal shaft 38 that is rotatably mounted in bearings 39. and 40which in turn are held by the frame. Suitably positioned on the shaft38, is a miter gear 41 in mesh with a similar gear 42 secured to the endof a vertical shaft 46 mounted rotatably in a bracket 47 fixed to theframe 3 and in a bearing'48 boltedto the upper side of the plate 2. Theupper end of the shaft 46 extends above the bearing 48 and has fastenedthereto a pulley 49 provided with a grooved surface 45 of sufficientwidth to accommodate an endless belt 50 which preferably encircles thepulley 49. The belt engages the, pulleys 20 fixed to the heads andthereby effects the rotation 015155 2 same as well as rotating theconveyor thus performing a double function. The belt is preferablymaintained taut by an idler 51 subject to suitable helical spring 52.

The conveyor is interrupted in its travel a suitable control mechanismsuch as Q indexing mechanism which comprises a treadle 55 pivoted to adepending arm 56 secured'to the frame and connected to a move able rod57 extending above the late. 2 and to one arm of a -crank 59 which is tooscillate in a provided in a standard 60. The bell' v Pre ferably, therod 63 is 1s sopositionedthat its arm'62 in itsmove 7. and. 8.

guidedinabearin 64constituting part of the standard 60.

-asthe headis A 63 'and'rslida ly mountedin said hub is a pin 67movable-atright angles to the rod 63 and provided a projection 72. Asheretofore stated, the re ection 72 is posi-- tioned in the path of ugs58- which are integral with the respective spider arms, and operative torelieve any shock which may be caused by impact between the lugs 58 andthe projection 72. p This impact 1 s absorbed means Off} sgr' (H a e r.a collar 74' and t hu 65. ejbell-crank 59'is-maintained in a givenpifisltion by a spring (Sl -secured to the frame and to the treadle,thus the projection 72 normally interrupts the movement of the conveyor.

(At each actuation of the treadle 55, the

with one of the lugs 58 and the conveyor is permitted 1 to rotate underthe power delivered by the belt 50 until the next lug or rigid member 58engages the in this instance the movement is one twc fth of a revolutionas twelve heads are employed although this number may be varied. At agiven place infthe operating cycle of the conveyor it i or operatingreasons, necessary to disengage the belt 50 from a pulley 20 to permitone of the heads to come to a state of rest for loading or unloading orother purposes. This diseent is aceomplished by providing a double idla5-1 (see Fig. 6) havlng a pulley 66 which guides the belt out of contactwith the pulley and another pulley 67, bracketed to the first, and Eachpositioned to guide the belton to the pulley I again moved in itscircular path by the rotation of the conveyor.

-zThe foregoing description has considered arevolving conveyor whichcarries the 10- heads and mechanism connected therer as oneform of meansfor moving the o.r'- lamp holders. In carrying the invention it isdesirable to provide zone its heat in the path of the objects carried bythe moving heads, or a. heated region in -which the objects supportedby-the'heads may maintained or a given period of conveyor in its ub sis"rovided at one end of therod crank 59 moves the step 72 from contactdata out sultabledraftmeans. Theoveniscl at the bottom by the plate 2,upon which the" hoodandfluered,andatthetopbyacon' vex closure connectedtothe hood and to theoutersideoftheflue.

tac-

cess to the heads'for plying .a

The even my be heated means which, in the appended drawings, is shqwnasofaresistant wire 72 which may be covered. It is obvious,-however, thatthe oven may be heated by other such as a plurality of gas flamesarranged aboutthe oven, or by the provision of a air blast in-which'anobject may *be mam for a given interval by 'maw the conveyor or by anyother suitable means. The enclosed p or even as illustrated inconnection with this invention afiords an economical and elfecby anydesirable Q The wall of the "hood-is removed atthe front coating-and forreadily and unloadtive method of providing an'enclosure in which heatmay be confined, and which may be suitably insulated to prevent excessra- As above mentioned, three heads are ac cemlble at the same time atthe open ,part of the machine and are path at the front of the machine.head which takes the intermediate position is permitted to come to a.state of rest through the agency of the double Idler which guides thebelt 50 away from .the driving pulley 20 of the head as explained above.This stationary position of in a com-'- the head istheone at which theloading and unloading operations are efiected.

In the proces of coating, the enamel or other preparation is. sprayedfrom containers 75 76 which are preferably osclllated during thespraying operation.

sprayer applies a coating to the ohjectcarriedin'theheadswhentheyarermand the containers and rayers are preferably located on opposite sidesof the position at which the heads cease to rotate. The coating fluid isautomatically sprayed upon the exposed portion of the object by means ofany suitable spraying apparatus to each container, and the initialcoat-mg of 5p enamel or other preparation whlch is dispersed upon theob-' Ject at the second of its movement, t to the and unloading stage.Afinaleoatmg, w 'chmayconsist of a varnish, is applied to the objectwhen at the stage just previous to theloading and the heads are loadedand unloaded, permits the operator to observe the operation of thenozzles and to conveniently regulate them when necessary. I

The selected spraying apparatus illustrated in the drawing preferablycomprises a nozzle 100 and fluid containers 75 and 76 connected thereto.Air is forced through pipe 101 and into condensers 102 and is regulatedby valve 103 to give the desired working pressure. The air is thenpassed through a filter 104 from which it is conducted by means of aflexible tube 105, to the nozzles to efiect a dispersion of the fluid.The fluid containers may be mounted in any desired manner to have thepreparw.

tion properly sprayed onto the lamp bulbs, and the apparatus provided isadjustable to permit the preparation to be sprayed onto a predeterminedpart of the object held by the traveling head.

-The apparatus selected provides for each fluid container to bepositioned to rock in substantially a vertical are by means of links 91connecting a rocking shaft 7 7 which is oscillated by means of itsconnection with a vertical reciprocating plunger 78 guided in a sleeve79 and adapted to be moved upwardly by reason of its lower end beingretained in contact with a cam 83 upon the upper surface of a worm wheel84. A ro-- tation of the worm wheel thus effects the reciprocation ofthe plunger 78 and a. link 85 having one end connected thereto, andhaving its opposite end pivoted to anarm 86 secured to the. shaft 77.Adjacent to each end of the shaft 77 is provided an arm 90 to which thelower ends of rods 9lare pivoted. The upper ends of the rods areprovided'with crank pins movable in slots (lisposed in cranks 87 towhich the containers 75 and 76 are fastened, said cranks being hinged toan adjustable bracket 88 secured to the body of the machine and in thisway the positions of the containers may be va ried. The selectedarrangement of the cam 83 moves the link 85 through four identicalcycles per revolution of the worm wheel 81 and during each cycle theplunger 78 moves upwardly at a uniform rate, remains at rest for a givenperiod, and then moves downwardly at the same rate that it movesupwardly. The worm wheel is mounted in an extended bearing 96 fastenedto the frame. Positioned in mesh with the worm wheel is a worm (notshown) secured to the end of the continuously rotating shaft 38. Thisworm gearing provides a speed reduction of a suitable ratio as to causea predetermined number of revolutions of the wheel 84: and a consequentgiven number of reciprocations to the rods 91 which in turn effect anoscillation of the sprayer containers.

In practice, the conveyor is revolved in a counterclockwisedirection anda lamp is insertedin the stationary or non-rotating head, w1th the baseportion in the socket of the post 27. It is then pressed downwardly andseated in a normal position for treatment. The treadle of the indexingmechanism is operated and, as the lamp moves into the cessive stage theheads are advanced through the heat zone which may be regulated to theproper intensity so that upon reaching the next to the last position ofthe cycle the bulb has been subjected to a predetermined heattreatmentat which point another spraymg apparatus coats, if desired, the bulbwith another liquid. In this instance a coating-of varnish is found tobe advantageous as a second coating. The bulb is now moved to the lastor unloading stage and is raised to extracting position, as shown indotted lines in Fig. 1, by the movement of the rod of the socket post 27as it rides up the inclined surface of cam 29 and lifts the socket post,thereby raisingthe bulb from its seat to facilitate its removal by theoperator.

It is desirable for practical reasons to produce what may be termed afeatheror disappearlng edge on the rim or edge of the coating. producinga coating with an edge which gradually increases in thickness, from itsoutermost edge toward the tip of the lamp bulb. This is producedby theaction of the cam'83 which causes the spray to be directed against theexposed edge of the bowl of the lamp bulb for a shorter interval thanagainst the other exposed part of the bulb. The positioning of thespraying arc is controlled through the adjustment of the rods 91 bymeans. ofturn buckles'93 which permit a variation in the lengths of therods and a consequent adjustment of the position of the spraying arc.The movement of the sprayer may thus be so regulatedthat when the edgeof the dispersed or sprayed enamel reaches the edge of the bowl portionof the lamp the movement of the sprayer is reversed and it moves in theopposite direction. The main surface, or a portion of the surface, ofthe bowl of the lamp bulb thus The said feathering consists in receivessubstantially a backward and for- .ings. of varying thicknesses andwidths with or without substantial feathered edges, may be obtained.

In order to check the quality. of the coating during the treatment ofthe lamps, a lamp-testingblock 110 is provided and 1s supported upon theframe of the machine.

The said test-ing block-is disposed in a position convenient to theoperator and lsprovided with sockets 111 connected'to alighting circuitin order'that the operator may,

from time to time, light-a coatedlamp to inspect the same to ascertainwhether or not the lamps are recelving a coatmg of the properconsistency thus permiting the timey regulation of the sprayingapparatuaif' w en lighted,

for instance a coated lamp, I

properties. de-

shows a variation from the sired 1n the coating.

While we have Illustrated a preferred em, bodiment of our invention, itno to be under-.

stood that many structural changes may be efl'ected therein. Forinstance, the number of heads .maylbe' multiplied to increase thecapacity of the machine; or the heads may.

be adapted to support objects of greater or less magnitude than thatpfthe lncandescent lamp bulbs. It is also evident that the heads may beconveyed in other than a clrcular path. All such modifications areconsidered to be within the sec e of the invention as outlined by thesubjolned claims.

What is claimed is 1. A machine .for coating incandescent electric lampscomprising a support for a bulb, a material dispersing dev1ce,means .foreifecting a relative movement between sa1d device and saidsupport tocause a discharge of material upon one portion of a bulb in said supportfor a different time interval than on other portions of the bulb to.rovide a coating of difierent degrees of-thlckness. 1 v

2. A machine for coating incandescent electric lamps comprising asupport fora .bulb, a material dispersing devlce, means for effecting arelative movement between said device and said support to cause adischarge of material u on one portion of a bulb in said support oradifi'erent time interval than on other portions of the bulbto provide acoating of different degrees of thickness, a heat zone and means formoving thecoated bulbthrough said zone.

3. A machine for coating incandescent electric lamps comprising asupport for a rial of a bulb, a heat zone and means zone.

bulb, means for rotating the support, a mate rial dispersing device,means for causing a' relative movement between .said device and saidrotating support .to directa discharge of material upon abulb in saidsup ort to deposit a cqatm of 'said material 0 a .pre-. determined thicess upon one portion of the bulb and a coating of a diflerent thick--ness on another portion of the bulb.

A. machine for coating incandescent electric lampscomprising a supportfor a .bulb, means for rotating the support, a

or causrnaterial dispersing device, means mg a relative movementbetweensaid de-' vlce and sa1d rotating support to direct a discharge ofmaterial upon a bulb in said support to deposit a coating of saidmatepredetermined thickness upon one ortion o the bulb and acoating of adiferent thicknesson another portion of the for. moving. sa1d coatedbulb through said/zone.

5. In a machine forv coatin electric incandescent bulbs, the combinatlonof a supportfor said bulbs,

and a material dispersing device, means for rotating thesupported bulbs,means for oscillating said device during the dispersion of a ivenmaterial therefrom and means associated with said su port: formaintaining a givenarea of said ulbsexposed to said spray. v

. 6. In amachine for" coating electric in'- candescent lamp bulbs, thecombination-of a casing for surrounding a ortion of a bulb, a seatassociated with sa1d casing for engagement with the bulb, a materialdispersing mechanism, said mechanism 'bein disposed in operativerelation with said supported bulb, means for rotating the bulb and meansfor oscillating said mechanism during the dispersing of the material onthe bulb. r

7. In a machine for aflixing a coatingof a .given substance to electricincandescent bulbs, the combination of a support for said bulbs, meansassociated with said support for accommodating different size bulbs, .amaterial dispersing means, said support and dispersing means beingdisposed in movable operative relation whereby the bulbs may 7 coatedwith the dispersed materia means for creating a zone of heat, and

means for moving said bulbs within said 7 8. In a machine for aflixin acoating to electric incandescent lamp bul s, the combination offa casingfor. surrounding a portion of a bulb, a seat for the bulb remov-- ablyassociated with said casing, a material spraying device, saidseatedbulb'and device being disposed in coo rative relation to produce acoating of dispersed material on the bulb, means for creating a heatzone and means for 'maintainingsaid coated bulb in said zone forapredetermined period.

, a coatin veyor adapted to move said bulbs in a given ath, means forapplying a coating to the owl portions of said bulbs, means formanipulatin said coating, means to apply 0 diminishing thickness 'at theborder t ereof and means for supplying heat to said bulbs while movingthem in said path.

10. In a machine for coating electric incandescent bulbs, thecombination of a conveyor having a plurality of heads rotatably mountedthereon, a common driving means for the conveyor and heads, said headsincluding means for shielding a portion of said bulbs means for coatingthe unshielded ortion of said bulbs, and means for creatmg a heat zonein the path of travel of said heads. 11. In a machine for coatingelectric incandescent lamps, the combination of a movable conveyor, asource of power for drivin said conveyor, a plurality of heads mounte onsaid conveyor, socket posts associated with said heads, casings disposedabout said socket posts for shielding lower portions of lamps positionedin said posts, means associated with said source of power for rotatingsaid heads and means for applying a coating to the exposed portions ofsaid lamps.

12. In a machine for coating electric incandescent lamps, thecombination of a movv the combination of a rotatable 'conveyor,a

plurality of heads rotatably mounted thereon, socket-posts associatedwith said heads to receive the base portions of said lamps,

each of the said heads being adapted to shield all but a portion of alamp means for producing a heat zone, means for applying a coating of agiven substance to the exposed portion of each of said lamps, and meansfor moving the lamps through said heat zone. v

14. In a machine for coating a portion of the surface of an electricincandescent lamp bulb, the combination of a conveyor driven by a powerunit, a bulb supporting head having a socket-post to receive the baseportion of a lamp, the said head being adapted to hold a lamp with aportion of its bulb exposed, means for applyin a preparation upon theexpose portion of said ulb, and means for creating a heat zone throughwhich the lamp is moved. I

15. In a machine for coating electric incandescent lamps, thecombination of a rotatable head having a reciprocable socketpostassociated therewith to receive the base of a lamp, said head comprisinga casing having the upper end thereof adapted to seat the bowl portlonof a lamp, means for applying a coating of a given preparation upon sa1dlamps, means for providing a heat zone, and means for moving the coatedlamps through said heat zone.

16. In a machine for coating a portion of the surface of incandescentlamp bulbs, the combination of a rotatable conveyor, a plurality ofheads rotatably mounted on said conveyor, a belt adapted to provide acommon drive for said conveyor and heads, said heads consisting of acasing in which bulbs may be supported with a portion thereof exposed,means within said casing for receiving the base portion of a lamp, meansfor spraying a coating of a given preparation upon the exposed portionof said bulbs, and means for providing a zone of heat in which saidbulbs may be maintained for a given period.

17. In a machine for coating electric incandescent lamps, thecombination of a conveyor, a plurality of heads rotatably mounted onsaid conveyor, :1. common driving belt for rotating the conveyor andheads, casings carried by said heads having seats to receive the bowlportion of said lamps with :portions of saidlamps exposed, means 1 forautomatically spraying a coating upon the exposed portion of saidobjects, means for subsequently heating said coating and coating of ameans for moving said bulbs upwardly in said heads.

, 18. Ina machine for coating a portion of incandescent lamp bulbs, thecombination of a plurality of heads mounted on a conveyor driven by asource of power, a plurality of heads mounted onsaid conveyor andadapted to be rotated by said power, said heads having adjustableholders for supporting different sized bulbs in predetermined positionsto receive a coating, means for coating said bulbs, means for creating aheat zone, means for maintaining the coated bulbs therein for apredetermined interval and means for automatically lifting said bulbsfrom said holders.

19. In a machine for afiixing a coating to a given portion of the bulbsof incandescent lamps, the combination of a movable conveyor having aplurality of heads rotatably mounted thereon, a driving belt adapted toprovide a common drive for said conveyor and heads to move them in givenpaths of travel, eachhead having a casing adapted toshield a portion ofthe lamp bulb supported thereon, means for spraying a coat- 1ng upon theexposed portion of the bulb, means for producing a heat zone in thepathof said lamp bulbs, and means for automatically movin sai bulbs upwardlyin said heads to facllitate their removal.

20. In a machine for aflixing a coating to the bulbs of incandescentlamps, the combination of a conveyor having a lurality of heads, meansassociated with sa1d head for supporting and shielding a portion of abulb, a socket-post for receiving the base portion of a bulb, sprayersdisposed adjacent to said lamp bulbs, and means associated with saidsprayers to oscillate them in substantially a vertical plane during theapplication of a coating to said lamp bulbs, meansfor producing a zoneof heat, and means for maintaining said coated bulbs therein for a giventime interval.

21. In a machine for coating an electric incandescent lamp, thecombination of a support for said lamp, said support comprising asocketfor receiving the base portion of a lamp and means for shielding aportion of said lamp, a material dispersing device, means for movingsaid device with relation to said lamp to produce a non-uniform coatingon the unshielded portion of said lamp.

22. In a machine for coating an object, the combination of a support forsaid object, a material dispersing device, said de vice and object beingdisposed in movable cooperative relation, whereby the dispersed materialmay be soideposited upon said object as to produce a coating ofdiminishing thickness toward the edge.

23. In a machine for coating an object, the combination of a support forsaid object, a material dispersing device, means for oscillating saiddevice in a given arc, means for regulating the sweep of said are toguide the dispensed material onto a given are of said object.

24. In a machine for coating an object, the combination of a support forsaid object, a material dispersing device, means for moving saidobjects, means for oscillating said device in a given are, means forvarying the sweep of said are, to produce a coating of non-uniformthickness.

25. In a" machine for coatin an object, the combination of asupport Iorsaid object, a material dispersing device, means for moving said object,and means for oscillating said device in a given arcduring' thedispersion of a given material to roduce a coating having a diminishingthickness at its edge. 4

26. In a machine for coating a portion of the bulbs of incandescentlamps, thecombination of a conveyor, a plurality of rota-- table headsmounted on said conveyor, means for driving the conveyor and heads,

each head having a casing adapted to support a bulb with the enlargedportion thereof exposed, means for spraying a coatin upon the exposedportion of said bulb, an

a diminishing thickness of said coating toward one of its edges.

28. In a machine for coating the bowls of incandescent lamp bulbs, thecombination of a conve or, a plurality of rotatable heads mounte on saidconveyor, a common means for driving the conveyor and heads, each headhaving a casing adapted to support a bulb withall but the bowl portionthereof shielded, means for spraying a given substance upon the bowl,said spraying means operating to apply a coating to said bowl, amechanism for actuating the spraying means to produce a coating havingone edge of less thickness than the main portion of said coating.

29. In a machine for coating the bowls of incandescent lamp bulbs, thecombination of a driving belt, a conveyor, heads rotatably mounted onsaid conveyor, said belt constituting a common drive for said conveyorand said heads, each of said heads comprising a casing adapted tosupport a lamp withthe bowl portion thereof exposed, a socket postdisposed within each casing and positioned to receive the base of aninserted lamp, means for spraying a coating upon said bowl portions,means for producing a zone of heat, means for moving said coated bowlsinto 'said heat zone, and means for actuating the socket posts to liftsaid lamp bulbs.

30. In a machine for coating the bulbs of incandescent lamps, thecombination of a movable conveyor, a plurality of heads carried by saidconveyor and .being provided with removable lamp adapters, a beltconstituting a common driving means for actuating said conveyor and forrotating said heads, a reciprocable socket post centrally disposedwithin each head, said socket post being adapted to receive the base ofa lamp when seated in the head, means for maintainingi said socket in anupper position for unloading and for guiding an uncoated lamp tooperable position, means for spraying a fluid upon the bowl portion of alamp during its rotation, adjustable means for oscill'ating the sprayingmeans in a vertical arc to direct a fluid onto said lamp to produce acoating of a predetermined thickness,

means for producing a zone of heat, and means for maintaining the sa1dlamps therein for a given period.

31. In a machine for coating the bulbs of incandescent lamps, thecombination of a movable conveyor, a plurality of heads carriedby saidconveyor and bein provided with removable lamp adapters, a beltconstituting a common driving means for actuating said conveyor and forrotating said heads, a reciprocable socket disposed Within each head,said socket post being adapted to receive the base of a lamp when seatedin the head, means for main-- taining said socket post in an upperposition for unloading and for guiding an uncoated lamp to operableposition, means for spraying a fluid upon the bowl portion of a lampduring its rotation, adjustable means for oscillating the spraying meansin a vertical arc to direct a fluid onto said lamp, to produce a coatingof a predetermined thickness having a portion thereof of uniformthickness and another portion thereof of decreasing thickness, means forproducing a zone of'heat, and means for maintaining the bulbs thereinfor a given period.

32. In a machine for handling incandescent lamps, the combination of aconveyor, means for driving said conveyor, rigid members spaced atintervals about the conveyor, a shock absorbing stop positioned in thepaths of said rigid members for interrupting their movements, said stopcomprising a rod having a. projection rigidly secured thereto andadapted to contact with said rigid -members, and a resilient memberassociated with said rod to absorb shocks caused by the impact betweensaid members and projections.

33. In amachine for coating the bowl portion "of incandescent lampbulbs, the combination of a belt driven conveyor, a cushion member forinterrupting the movement of said conveyor, rotary lamp holders disposedat intervals upon said conveyor, means for actuating said cushion memberto cause a step by step movement of the conveyor, means for app-lying acoating to the bowls of lamps during one or more steps, and means forheating the said coated bowls.

34. The method of coating an electric incandescent lamp bulb whichcomprises moving a sprayof coating material in one direction over apredetermined area of the bulb and in efiecting a rapid change in thedirecw tion of movement of said spray to cause a deposit of varyingthickness on a given portion of the bulb.

35; The method of coating an incandescent electric .lam bulb whichcomp-rises directing a spray o coating material upon the bulb, movingsaid spray in a given diost centrally rection and in effecting a rapidreversal in the direction of movement of said spray to cause a depositof less thickness than the deposit upon the major portion of thecoated.-

area and moving said sprayed bulb through a heat zone. 7

36. The method of coating an incandescent electric lamp bulb whichcomprises rotating the bulb, directing a spray of coat-' ing materialupon the bulb, moving the spray through a given path to coat apredetermined area of the bulb and in effecting a rapid reversal inthejdirection of travel of said spray to cause a deposit of reducedthickness at the border of said coated area. V

37. The method of coating an electric incandescent lamp bulb whichcomprises shielding a portion of a rotating bulb, di-

recting a spray of a coating material upon the bulb and 1n manipulatinthe spray to deposit a coating ofdiminis ing thicknesstoward the edge ofthe unshielded portion.

38. The mehod of coating an electric incandescent lamp bulb whichcomprises shielding all but the bowl portion of a rotating bulb,directing a spray of coating ma"- terial upon said bowl and manipulatingthe spray to deposit a coating of varying thickmovement of said spray tocause a deposit of varying thickness on a iven portion of said bulb andpassing t e coated bulb through a heat zone.

41. The method of coating a predetermined area of an incandescentelectric lamp bulb which comprises rotating the bulb, d1- recting a sprasaid bulb, moving the spray in a given direction, rapidly reversing thedirection of movement of said spray at the border of said area, passingthecoated bulb through a heat zone and in applying another coating uponsaid coated area.

of coating material uponv 42. The method of coating the bowl portion ofan electric incandescent lamp which comprises rotating the lamp,directing a spray of coating material upon said lamp,

moving thespray through a given path between thev tip portion of thelamp and the edge of the'bowl portion, and in rapidly res versing. thedirection of movement at the said edge to produce a circumferent al-1y6.15-

comprises rotating the lamp, directing a.

spray of coating material upon said lamp, moving the spray through agiven path between the tip portion of the lamp and the edge of the bowlportion, and in rapidly reversing the direction .of movement at the saidedge to produce a circumferentially disband of coating of graduallyincreasmg thickness from lts outer to its inner boundaries and inpassing the lamp through a heat zone. 4 44. The method of coating thebowl ortion of an electric incandescent lamp w 'ch comprises rotatingthe lamp, directing a spray of coating material upon said lamp, movingthe spray through a given path betweenthe tip portion of the lamp andthe edge of the bowl portion and in rapidly reversin the direction ofmovement at the saide ge to produce a circumferentially disposed band'ofcoating of gradually increasing thickness, passing the lamp through aheat zone and subsequently manipulating a spray to apply a coating tosaid coated portlon.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto subscribed our names thistwenty-second day of March, 1921.

JAMES BRYANT W'HITMORE. JOHN EBLING FERGUSON.

